Through the Rain, the Mud, and Every Messy Bit in Between: 39 Years With Joe

Joe and I celebrated 39 years of marriage on Friday. Nothing fancy happened… which honestly made it perfect. My daughter went with me to take some photos, and then we grabbed lunch like we’ve done a thousand times before.

I asked Joe to join us, but he had already decided to tackle something he knew I’d been wanting for years: putting an electrical outlet on the light pole at the end of the driveway so I could finally put Christmas lights on it.

I took him home a huge slice of carrot cake for us to split later that night. When I pulled back up to the house, he was still out there working on the light. I walked down the driveway, bent over, kissed him, and whispered, ‘Happy Anniversary.’ He laughed and said, ‘I’m glad you remembered,’ because, of course, he had forgotten.

Celebrating Anniversaries Looks Different

Anniversaries come and go, and as we’ve gotten older, we don’t feel the need to celebrate them the way we used to. No movies, no fancy dinner reservations, just real life. My big anniversary dinner was a ham and cheese sandwich with dill pickle potato chips, and you know what? It was delicious. Fancy is nice, but simple hits the spot, too.

From ‘How We Started’ to Today

This man, the one tinkering with an outlet on a chilly afternoon, is the same man I met back in 1985. How could I miss him pedaling that bicycle around the parking lot after he moved into my apartment complex?

This next photo was taken at his parents’ house in 1986, right after we got married. We drove down for Thanksgiving, and I met his father for the first time.

And yes, I absolutely have to show you this picture because my hair was having a moment. I’m filing it under ‘What were we thinking?’ But the outfit? A size 4 St. John set my sister passed down to me. Those were the days, gurls. Those were the days.

The Adventures in Between

Life together has been full of fantastic adventures, even if rain seems to follow us everywhere. We’ve traveled from the heat of the desert to the chilly waters of Alaska:

Alaska Adventures

We made the trip to Juneau to watch our daughter graduate from college, and a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier was a must. Even on the rainiest Fourth of July I’ve ever experienced, the whole town still came out for the parade.

Can you see the humpback whale flukes? We were lucky enough to see the whales creating a bubble net; it’s truly fascinating when they breach the surface all at once.

Desert Glam and Freezing Fun

We flew out to Cabo San Lucas with Rodan & Fields. They drove us into the desert for a fancy party, and you’d think we were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder because we were deeply in love. The truth? We were freezing.

Once that sun goes down, the desert gets bone-cold. Even with the bonfires blazing, we were huddled together like two penguins who’d lost their flock. We had a fantastic time, and R&F sure knew how to throw a party. I miss those days.

The Pepsi Mud Pit

One of my first influencer trips was to Florida for the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam. We had the sunroof open, music playing, living our best lives… until the sky opened up.

It poured so hard that the field turned into a mud pit in no time! We took bags and wrapped our feet in them just to get to the bus without ruining our shoes.

Beignets, Beads, and Beaches

We’ve eaten our weight in beignets in New Orleans (and yes, they’re as messy as they look), collected more beads than two grown adults should ever admit to, and ended many nights watching the sunset at North Myrtle Beach with our toes in the surf.

The Only Thing That Matters

Through it all, we’ve laughed more than we’ve cried. We were talking the other night about all the stress and hard seasons we’ve weathered, times when we didn’t know what the next day would look like.

Joe said, ‘One of these days, we need to sit down and list all of the storms we’ve been through.’ I told him, ‘I don’t even remember the storms. I remember the fun, the laughter, and the love.’

Life comes with rain and mud and days when you wonder if the sun will ever come out again. But it does. It always does.

We’ve survived 39 years and just as many storms, and I’d choose him through every single one.

Happy Anniversary, Joe.

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To GOD Goes The Glory!

Verse Of The Day

Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)
¹ Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago.